Getting Started

Welcome to GrowLab Market

GrowLab Market is a free, community-driven marketplace for plant hobbyists and growers across the Philippines. Whether you grow aquatic plants, keep fish and shrimp, collect terrestrial species, or build aquascapes, this is the place to buy, sell, and trade with fellow enthusiasts.

There are no transaction fees and no middleman. Sellers list their products, buyers browse and reach out directly through social links. Think of it as a classified board built specifically for the plant and aquascaping community.

What you will find here

Listings are organized into categories:

• Aquatic Plants -- submerged and emersed species for planted tanks
• Terrestrial Plants -- houseplants, aroids, succulents, and more
• Fish & Shrimp -- livestock for freshwater and planted setups
• Equipment -- filters, lights, CO2 systems, tanks
• Hardscape -- driftwood, stones, substrates
• Supplies -- fertilizers, tools, accessories
• Others -- anything else hobby-related

Each listing includes photos, a description, pricing, condition details, and the seller's social links so you can message them directly.

Browsing and Discovering Listings

The homepage feed

When you open GrowLab Market, the homepage shows a live feed of recent listings. You can scroll through the feed or tap a category chip at the top to filter by category. On larger screens, a sidebar shows the full category list and trending searches.

First-time visitors see a welcome banner introducing the marketplace. It disappears on return visits so you can jump straight into browsing.

The Browse page

Tap Browse in the navigation (or the compass icon on mobile) to open the full listings page. Here you can:

• Search by keyword -- type a plant name, brand, or description term
• Filter by category -- select one of the seven categories
• Filter by condition -- new, used, grown, tissue culture, or seed
• Set a price range -- minimum and maximum price fields
• Sort results -- newest first, most viewed, price low-to-high, or price high-to-low

Active filters appear as removable tags so you always know what is applied.

Search palette

Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows) from anywhere on the site to open the search palette. You can also tap the search icon in the header. The palette provides:

• Instant results -- listings and sellers matching your query appear as you type
• Recent searches -- your past searches are saved locally for quick access
• Category shortcuts -- jump directly to a category from the search palette
• Trending searches -- popular search terms from the community

Tap a result to go directly to that listing or seller profile.

Creating an Account

Signing up with Google

GrowLab Market uses Google sign-in for a quick, secure login experience. To create your account:

1. Tap Log in in the header (desktop) or go to the Account tab (mobile)
2. Tap Continue with Google
3. Choose your Google account and approve the sign-in
4. You are redirected back to the marketplace, now logged in

Your display name and profile photo are pulled from your Google account automatically. You can update these later in your account settings.

What your account gives you

Once signed in, you can:

• Post listings for items you want to sell or trade
• Save listings to collections for quick reference later
• Follow sellers to get notified when they post new items
• Receive notifications for activity related to your listings and followed sellers
• Manage your profile with bio, location, and social links

You do not need an account to browse listings. Signing in is only required when you want to interact with the marketplace.

Navigating the Platform

Desktop navigation

The header bar at the top of every page provides:

• GrowLab Market logo -- returns you to the homepage
• Browse -- opens the full listings page with filters
• Categories -- view all categories and their listings
• Search button -- opens the search palette (also via Cmd+K)
• Notification bell -- shows unread notifications (when signed in)
• Post Listing -- green button to create a new listing (when signed in)
• Avatar -- links to your account dashboard (when signed in)

Mobile navigation

On mobile devices, a bottom navigation bar gives you quick access to the core sections:

• Home -- the main feed of recent listings
• Browse -- the full listings page with search and filters
• Sell -- create a new listing (shown when signed in)
• Account -- your dashboard, profile, settings, and login

A notification badge appears on the Account icon when you have unread notifications.

Key Features at a Glance

Posting a listing

Tap Post Listing (or the + icon on mobile) to create a listing. The listing editor walks you through adding photos, writing a title and description, setting your price, choosing a category and condition, and adding tags. Listings go live immediately after publishing. You can edit or deactivate them anytime from your account dashboard.

Collections

Save interesting listings into collections to organize them for later. Collections work like bookmarks -- you can group saved listings however you like. You can also share collections with others.

Following sellers

When you find a seller whose products you like, tap the Follow button on their profile or listing card. You can choose a notification tier:

• New listings only -- get notified whenever they post something new
• All activity -- also get notified about price changes and restocks

Your followed sellers and their latest listings are accessible from your account page.

Notifications

The notification bell in the header keeps you updated on activity that matters to you. Notifications include new listings from sellers you follow, price changes, and engagement on your own listings. You can customize your notification preferences in your account settings.

Seller profiles

Every seller has a public profile page showing their active listings, location, bio, and social links (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Viber, Messenger). This is how buyers connect with sellers -- just tap a social link to start a conversation.

Tips for Getting Started

• Explore trending searches on the homepage sidebar (or below the feed on mobile) to discover popular items
• Use specific keywords when searching -- plant species names, brand names, or equipment types work best
• Follow active sellers in your area to stay updated on new inventory
• Complete your profile with a bio, location, and social links so buyers can reach you easily
• Add clear photos to your listings -- well-lit images from multiple angles attract more interest